


How I See Me

by ElsieBlake



Category: Soy Luna (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Luna is struggling, Matteo's life is a mess, Nina and Gastón are along for the ride, Season 3 Ámbar, Simón is trying to help, oh well, these tags tell you very little about the story, Ámbar is stuggling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:15:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27489463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElsieBlake/pseuds/ElsieBlake
Summary: Luna has to come out to the world as Sol, but she's not ready.Matteo's dad will only let him stay in Argentina on one condition, and it means losing Luna.Ámbar ran away from Sharon and her hate and is trying to make a life on her own.Simón is trying to help.Or - Sol is being introduced to the public by a series of charity events where Luna disguises herself so no one knows she's Sol. And Ámbar is having a hard time handling her new life, but maybe a certain guitarist can help her out.
Relationships: Luna Valente/Matteo Balsano, Nina Simonetti/Gastón Perida, Simón Álvarez/Ámbar Smith
Kudos: 14





	1. The Invite

**Author's Note:**

> It’s a new school year after season 1 and Matteo is still in Italy. Over the summer, while in Cancun, Luna discovered she is Sol and Sharon ran away with Rey and Ambar, leaving Luna with the house, fortune and her abuelo shows up and helps out. Roller Band needed a place to stay so they also live in the mansion. Because of Sharon being on the run, no one has heard from Ámbar. And because I can and it works better with the story, I bumped up their ages a year so Matteo and Ámbar and them have left school, Luna and Nina are in their last year. 
> 
> I’m also still on season 2 so please no spoilers if anyone makes a comment.
> 
> (Also being posted on Wattpad under the name elsie_blake)

Luna never thought this would happen, but she was excited for summer to be over. Of course, she missed Cancun, having spent the first month there, but being in the mansion so much was making her uncomfortable. 

She had never had much of an opinion of living in the mansion as the employees daughter, but after everything that had happened over the last three months she would gladly take that back, even if it meant being bossed about by Ámbar and Sharon. However, while they were in Cancun, Luna learnt the truth about her parents and who really owned the Benson mansion. As soon as the news was out, Sharon had taken Ámbar and Rey and fled, leaving Luna with an inheritance she had never imagined. 

It was too much for her. 

Her abuelo, who she was still shocked about, arrived soon after they returned from Cancun. He was there to help and advice. One of his suggestions was to make the mansion more her own to make her more comfortable with the change. She had added some of her own flair to certain rooms, and her parents had even moved into a larger one, but Luna couldn’t handle leaving her own room in the staff quarters. She felt that the moment she did, she would be Sol completely, and she wasn’t sure she was ready for that.

The only people who knew, other than her parents and abuelo, were Nina and Simón, and even they didn’t know the whole story. That was why she was so excited to get back to school. She could spend six hours a day where she was just Luna. Between school and the Roller, she was sure she could stay away from the mansion for the majority of the day. Just going to the Roller and park somehow wasn’t enough during the summer, she was ready for the distraction homework provided.

School was also the only place she did not need to lie to anyone. Simón, Nico and Pedro had moved into the mansion over summer, so Simón told them some long-winded and farfetched tale about Sol leaving the mansion in Luna’s hands while she was away to explain why her family were in charge of the mansion and they luckily didn’t ask many questions, but keeping up the lie was surprisingly harder than she thought.

She just wanted to be Luna Valente again.

Another thing the end of summer meant was Matteo. She would finally find out if he was coming back or not. They had not spoken much over the holiday, with all the drama that ensued, Luna didn’t have the time. The fact that Gastón didn’t even know didn’t exactly fill her with hope, but she was Luna, she had positivity to spare and this was no different. She was certain that as soon as she saw him again, it would be like nothing had changed. He would call her ‘Chica Delivery’, she would call him ‘Chico Fresa’ and life would make sense again.

If only he would give her a definitive answer.

“You got everything?” Simón asked when he found her in the kitchen stealing a slice of toast. “You know there’s food on the table, right?”

Luna had hoped to escape to school without seeing anyone so she wouldn’t have to hear about Sol until she came home that night. She turned to him with a pout. “I just need to get to school.”

“Since when do you care about being punctual?” Simón said with a laugh. 

“I don’t,” she admitted, “but I can’t wait any longer.” She told herself it wasn’t lying, just avoiding the main part.

“In that case, how about we skate there? Make it a race and perhaps put a smile back on that face?”

“Really?” Luna asked, feeling her excitement bubble inside her, if there was one thing Simón did better than anyone, it was cheering her up.

“Of course. Meet you here with our skates in three minutes.”

“Bet I can do it in two.”

“You’re on.”

It took her five. She really needed to organise her bedroom so she could actually find her belongings. 

They decided to go the long way around the park, enjoying each other’s company and the speed at which they could go on their skates. This was when she was content, when she was just Luna, when everything in her world was right. 

Finally, they arrived at school.

“I’ll see you at the Roller later, okay?” Simón checked, before skating away after she nodded. 

“Bye,” she called after him.

“Luna!”

She turned to the sound of her name, only to be crushed in a bear hug from Jim and Yam. 

“They did the same to me,” Nina chuckled when they pulled apart.

“I saw you yesterday,” Luna reminded the girls, a huge smile taking over her face.

“We know,” Yam started.

“But we haven’t seen you at school in three months,” Jim continued.

A snort escaped through Luna’s mouth at her friend’s logic, but she wasn’t going to say no to a hug. 

They linked arms and started towards the school.

“We’re seniors now,” Yam reminded them. “Ramiro warned me that all the teachers go a bit crazy over it and try to scare you.”

“Gastón said the same thing,” Nina clarified.

Well, you did want a distraction, Luna thought.

“Oh, that reminds me,” Nina suddenly yelped as they entered the school. “Gastón’s having a party on Friday and you’re all invited.”

And that is a better distraction.

“His parents are away so he thought he’d celebrate the end of the first week of university, and senior year for us. And he asked if you could invite the guys, Luna.”

“Of course, I’m sure they’ll be happy to go.”

“Great.”

The rest of the day was filled with party talk and stressful teachers. It was a long day, but more than welcome.

//

Simón saw the message from Luna after Rollerband’s rehearsal and the guys were more than happy for the invite. With most people on holiday during the summer, it had been rather boring and uneventful if you forget about Luna’s drama, which most people didn’t even know about anyway. A party was just what they needed.

//

Delfi and Jazmín were in their first class when the message came through from Gastón, followed soon after by a message from Pedro asking Delfi is she was going. Obviously they were, the fans of Fab and Chic needed the exclusive of the first party of the year. It was just unfortunate that they received the messages so early in the day, they didn’t hear one thing the teacher said over the sound of their outfit planning.

//

Ramiro got the invite in person when he met with Gastón for lunch, the pair had become better friends over summer while Matteo was gone. They found they enjoyed each other company, but Ramiro knew Gastón missed Matteo, and, surprisingly, so did he. There was an absence at the Roller without The King of the Rink and his big head. Either way, he was just excited for an excuse to dance with Yam.

//

Matteo was still in Italy and he was miserable. He loved Italy, yes, but his parents had not mentioned anything about going back to Buenos Aires, yet they also hadn’t let him enrol in one of the universities in Italy. To make matters worse, Gastón was the only person who seemed to remember he existed. His best friend made a point of messaging him everyday and video chatting with him every three days. Luna and he had a few conversations over the summer, but they started getting shorter and further between as time went on. He was used to this, it happened every time he moved, but he had hoped Luna would be different. He still could not get her out of his head no matter how hard he tried; the endless amounts of unfinished songs were proof of that.

His daily message from Gastón came that afternoon, though it was still morning over there. Matteo was shocked to open his phone and find a large paragraph inviting him to a party. 

Immediately, he called Gastón.

“Matteo,” his friends chipper voice said through the speaker. “What’s up?”

“You sent me a party invite. You do realise there is a pretty big ocean between us, right?”

“Of course. I also realise that your parent’s suck, you’re no doubt lonely, and I have a free house from this Thursday to the one after.”

“Okay. And that means…?”

“That I also got a job over the summer and saved up more than enough money to not only pay for an awesome party, but to also fly my best friend from Italy and back again. So, what do you say?”

“I say, you are my favourite person ever,” Matteo choked out, unable to keep the pure shock from of his voice. No one, in any of the countries he had been to, had done something like this for him.

“I already knew that. What do you say to coming to the party and spending a week at yours truly?”

“I say, yes. Yes, yes, yes. Get me out of here.”

“Happily. See you on Friday, amigo.”

//

Fab and Chic was Ambar’s only way of keeping up with her old friend’s lives. 

After everything had gone down in Cancun, Sharon hadn’t given Ambar a second to adjust before she dragged her to their house in Mar Del Plata, took her phone and put her on house arrest. It took only a week for her to get so angry that she took some of Sharon’s remaining money, hopped on a train and rented a cheap room to stay at in Buenos Aires. The room was certainly not as luxurious as she was used to and it had a strange smell, but she knew she was financing herself now so sacrifices had to be made; including food, clothes and accommodation. 

Once she had unpacked the few belongings she had managed to get away with, she went to Jam and Roller to find her friends and form a plan. That changed when she saw Luna surrounded by all her friends, probably telling them everything Sharon and done and the part she played in the deception. She knew her relationships with most of them were already rocky, she had no doubt they now hated her fully. She couldn’t look at their smiling faces any longer. 

When she left, she deleted every contact on her phone and changed her number. There would be no more Sharon, no more Jam and Roller, and no more Lunita.

Was it dramatic? Possibly. Did she regret putting that Ambar in the past along with everyone in her life? Surprisingly, no.

It felt like a weight had been taken off her shoulders. Ámbar was free. She no longer had to be perfect, she could be anything she wanted to be.

It had been a just over two months and Ambar had adjusted surprisingly well to her new life. She found a new rink and team called Red Sharks and a new friend in a girl called Emilia, who gave her one hell of a make-over. At first, she was sceptical about her new look but soon discovered she could find a lot of stuff in that style at vintage shops were the clothes were decent pricing. She had even found designer items a few times that had not been recognised so the price was super low. 

She also worked at the rink, her only source of income since she had hidden away the money she had taken from Sharon for when she really needed it. Not that anyone knew her predicament. She kept it well hidden, even from Emilia, who new nothing about her past and didn’t seem inclined to ask.

The fab and Chic notification came through when she had just finished serving a customer, so she snuck out her phone to find the girls advertising an exclusive video on the first party of the year at Gastón’s house. She knew it went against everything she had done since leaving her godmother, but a part of her really wanted to go, and not just because she new Gastón threw good parties.

However, when she noticed Emilia coming around the corner. she quickly hid her phone again.

“Are you doing anything on Friday?” Emilia asked, reaching over the counter to steal Ambar’s glass of juice. 

“No, why?” ignoring the fact that she had actually wanted to drink that.

“Benicio and I are going to try and get into a new club, want to join?”

Go to a party with people she was trying to avoid or go to a club where she could forget everything? Umm, what a dilemma.

“I’m in.”


	2. The Party

It had been the longest week of his life. Every few seconds Matteo kept looking over to the nearest clock. He had never been so impatient, but what would you expect? There wasn’t much else for him to do except skate around the area, which he had been doing all summer. 

Then he was at the airport, then boarding, then on the plain, then flying. 

The person next to him probably thought he was gripping his chair so tight because he was scared of the descent, but in reality, he was so excited his whole body was tense. 

He was back. 

He was back. 

It was a mantra in his head as he worked his way through the airport. He barely comprehended what was going on around him until he was stood in front of a grinning Gastón in a chauffeur’s hat and holding a sign that said ‘Matteito’. 

“You’re not funny,” Matteo said, trying to hide his growing smile so his friend wouldn’t mistake it for enjoying his humor. 

“Why can’t you just be happy and say hi?”

Matteo let the smile grow and threw himself on Gastón, who chucked away the sign and wrapped his arms around Matteo with just as much vigor.

“It’s good to have you back, bro.”

“Good to be back.”

Together, they started towards the car. “You ready for the party?” Gastón asked. “Luna’s will be there.”

“Really? I had no idea. It’s not like you’ve told me every hour since you sent the invite.” Matteo said sarcastically.

“I just wanted you to be prepared.”

Matteo shook his head in an attempt to brush off his friend’s comment, but he was not prepared. He had no idea how he was supposed to act around Luna. What if she had moved on or forgotten about him? Or worse, had moved on with the guitarist? He shivered at the thought. 

//

Luna, Nina, Yam and Jim got ready together at Nina’s house since it was the closest to Gastón’s. Luna thought it would be simple, they had spent all week planning their outfits, but last-minute changes were causing a lot of drama. Jim wanted to look good for Nico, Yam was worried about some girl in one of Ramiro’s classes who was invited to the party and Nina was nervous to meet Gastón’s university friends. The age gap was only year, but it suddenly felt quite large to her. 

Luna, on the other hand, had no one to impress. The only opinion she really cared about belonged to someone a whole ocean away. She still decided to wear something nice, but certainly not her best dress. No, instead she wore a silver top, white skirt, and black heels. Simple, comfortable, and casual. Perfect for a good time with her friends. The only real problem was the lack of colour, but she made up for that using accessories and make-up.

Nina went through her entire wardrobe only to end up on the cute, green dress the girls had been telling her to wear since day one. She had originally turned it down because it was shorter than she was used to but Luna leant her a pair of the shorts she wore while skating to put underneath so she felt a bit more comfortable.

Yam, of course, wore one of her own designs – ripped jeans and a gold top – and allowed Luna to jazz it up by doing her make-up. Jim had chosen a black skirt almost immediately, then brought every top she owned because she couldn’t choose what to go with it. Eventually, she settles on a multicoloured top. 

By that point they were running late, but at least they were all ready. 

//

Matteo’s glance kept wondering over to the door, he couldn’t stop himself. According to Gastón the girls should have already been there. 

“You need to relax, man,” Gastón teased. “How about I introduce you to some of the people on my class?”

“You mean your new best friends while I’m all alone in Italy?” Matteo said, only half joking. 

“That big ego of yours creates quite a large hole that no one can fill, don’t you worry. However, there is this cool Italian girl who sits next to me who could be a good fit.” Matteo was not amused by either joke. “Maybe you know her.”

He frowned at that but allowed Gastón to guide towards this mystery girl. “Know her? Because she’s Italian? Do you know how big Italy is, the likelihood of us knowing each other is incredibly slim.”

They reached a group of strangers just as a tall red-head turned around and the air left Matteo’s lungs as he realised he did know her. 

“Sofi?” He asked sceptically. 

“Matteo? Oh my god, Matteo!” Sofi pulled him into one of her too-strong hugs that he remembered too well. 

“What did you say about Italy being big?” Gastón chuckled. 

“I’m still right,” Matteo smirked over her shoulder. “We met in Chile. What are you doing here?”

Sofi, with her big smile and trademark blue headband, finally pulled away. “My parents let me move in with my aunt so I could go to the university here. I didn’t know you were still living in Buenos Aires, if I did I would have gone to find you.”

“I’m not. We moved back to Italy, I’m just here for a week because Gastón missed me so much.”

“More like you wouldn’t stop whining about being lonely,” Gastón butted in. 

“That sounds more likely,” Sofi added. She had been a good friend to Matteo when he lived in Chile, both of them were relatively new and he had still been getting to grips with the language. Since he moved, she had become like that distant cousin you only see at really big family gatherings. She hadn’t changed a bit.

“I haven’t seen you in years,” he said.

“Yeah. Last time we met in person you were just about to move to Argentina. How time flies.” 

“So true. We have to meet up sometime in a less crowded place so we can catch up.” 

“I’d love that.” Sofi clasped her hands together in thought. “I work at a rink not far from here. Pop in whenever you’re free, I’m almost always there.” 

Matteo was about to ask for more information, like the name of the rink, when he noticed Yam and Ramiro out of the corner of his eye. If Yam had arrived, that meant Luna had too. 

“Do you see Luna anywhere?” He asked Gastón. He was too eager to see her to apologise for interrupting Sofi.

They both scanned the room, but in a big crowd of tall people it was near impossible to find little Luna. 

“Can I help you find someone?” Sofi asked. 

“Luna, it’s a girl Matteo is in-“

“Gastón!” Nina’s soft shout came through the crowd, followed soon after by herself, pulling Luna closely behind her. Gastón immediately went to his girlfriend and pulled her into a kiss, making her blush. 

“You’re late,” he moaned. 

“Sorry, the girls were having trouble choosing an outfit.”

“The girls?” Luna said in disbelief. “You were no better you went through a dozen outfits before choosing the one we had been telling you to wear all week.”

“And what a good choice it was. You look beautiful, love.”

That caused Nina’s blush to deepen. Though Matteo was offended not to get as much attention from Luna as she was giving Gastón and Nina’s conversation, he was thankful that it allowed him a moment to take her in. She looked beautiful, as per usual. Her clothes were a lot more casual than most of the people around him, but it was strange to see her in such colourless attire. 

“Hi, Luna,” Matteo said, desperate for her attention by that point.

“Oh, hi Matteo, I didn’t see you there.”

//

It was one of the biggest lies she had ever told. Her heart had almost stopped when she walked through the door and saw him with Gastón. It definitely stopped when a girl jumped into his arms and with smiles plastered on both their faces. Even when they stopped hugging they stood close to each other, too close for Luna’s liking. From the way they were interacting, Matteo knew her, Gastón was shocked, and she seemed to be introducing herself, but to Gaston. What if she had met Matteo in Italy, they had fallen in love, and she had flown here to surprise him? Luna suddenly felt very ill.

The excitement of him being back wore off quickly after that and Nina had to literally drag her through the crowd to get to him. She tried to ignore him at first, but then he talked directly to her and she had to be civil. Friendly.

“When did you get back?” She tried to keep a small smile on her face, but she was sure it looked awkward. 

“Just a few hours ago. I’m actually here for the next week.”

“That’s great.” Then she did the most awkward thing ever. She punched his shoulder and called him ‘Buddy’. The last time they had seen each other they were practically in tears saying goodbye and professing their love to each other. Then she sees him in another girl’s arms and calls him ‘Buddy’. Why can’t they be easy?

She felt the strange looks from Gastón and Nina but couldn’t bear to look at them. The unfamiliar look in Matteo’s eyes wasn’t much better either, so chose to look behind him where the mystery girl was smiling at her. Bad idea.

“Well, good to see you, but I have to go and find Simón. Bye.”

“Wait, Luna.” Matteo reached out for her wrist and pulled her closer. “I don’t understand.”

“Which bit?” Luna asked, trying to play dumb.

There was a short awkward silence, which the mystery girl somehow took as an invitation to start talking. 

“Hi, I’m Sofi,” She said. “I’m an old friend of Matteo’s.”

Luna just blinked at her. Friend? 

“We haven’t seen each other in years, Gastón just re-introduced us, I guess you could say.”

She internally groaned, why did her brain have to jump to bad conclusions? And she had just called Matteo ‘Buddy’.

“You know what, I could use a drink. Come on Nina.” With that Luna took her best friend’s hand and walked away, quickly.

“What just happened?” Nina asked. “You’ve been excited about seeing Matteo again since the day he left.”

“When I saw him and that girl I thought, I don’t know, that maybe he had moved on.”

“They just hugged, Luna.”

“You know how my brain is.”

“So, go to him and explain.”

“You mean go to him and be severely embarrassed, no thanks.”

“Then what’s your plan?”

“Avoid him and drink alcohol until I stop being embarrassed.”

“That’s a bad plan.”

“Well it’s the one I came up with. Let’s go.”

//

Ámbar felt like killing Benicio and Emilia. They arrived at the club, queued for half an hour, only for the security to deny her access because they did not believe her ID was real. To make matters worse, her so-called friends had happily left her on the pavement to find her own way home. 

After doing the maths in her head, Ámbar realised she couldn’t actually afford a taxi all the way back to the hotel, unless she decided not to eat for the last half of the weak. What had her life come to? She used to have everything, but now she had nothing. It was pitiful, and she hated being pitied. With a stamp of her foot she checked the map on her phone and made her way towards Gastón’s house, much closer to the club than her hotel. 

By the time she got there, the party was in full swing. One look through the window and she lost count of all the people she recognised. There was no way she could get inside without being noticed. She would have to wait until the crowd thinned out, then sneak in and grab enough cash for a taxi.

She decided to wait in the garden where only a few stragglers where hanging out and lit one of Benicio’s cigarettes in the hope that it would keep her warm. It tasted gross, but the good news was that she was warmer, and Benincio would not be happy about her using one without permission. He should have thought about them before he put them in her bag only to leave her outside.

Twenty minutes in and she was getting cold again, so she reluctantly lit another cigarette. She had also managed to swipe a bottle of alcohol and was gulping it down. That was when the back door thudded open and an annoyed boy with a beanie on his head and flannel shirt around his waist walked out into the garden and sat on the edge of the fountain.

She should have left as soon as she saw him, taken her luck and walked home, but she didn’t. She was an idiot and opened her big mouth.

//

Simón needed a break. He had been babysitting a drunk Luna for far too long. He thought she was hyper normally; it was nothing compared to when she had been drinking. He had never seen her so bad, something was definitely wrong, he would have to ask her tomorrow. 

He had passed her off to Nina not long ago and was currently sat outside taking in the fresh air. 

“Not enjoying the party?” A voice from behind him said.

He turned around to see a blonde and pink haired girl dressed head to toe in black with additions of silver chains. He could see the orange glow of a cigarette between her fingers and noticed a slight shake in her shoulders as if she were trying not to shiver. Considering what she was wearing, she probably was. 

He was sure he didn’t know her, but something inside him said he recognised her. Either way, she was gorgeous.

“Just needed a breather,” he said.

“I understand, they can be a handful.” She sat down beside him and offered her cigarette, which he quickly declined.

He had thought she was one of Gastón’s new friends since he didn’t know her, but the way she spoke made him doubt that.

“Are you an old friend of Gastón’s?” He asked, uncertainly

She scoffed. “You don’t recognise me?”

Blushing, he shook his head.

She smirked at him, clearly amused. “I guess I can’t blame you. I barely recognise myself sometimes.”

“So, are you going to tell me, or do I have to guess?”

“I think you should guess.” Suddenly she was very close, so close he could smell the mix of alcohol and cigarette smoke coming off of her. The glow from the fountain lights lit up her face, emphasising her crystal blue eyes even more than the black eyeliner already did. 

It wasn’t until she raised her eyebrow slightly and the corner of her mouth quirked up in a challenge that he realised who he was talking to. But it couldn’t be. Though he was now starting to pick up on the similarities, there were too many differences between the two.

“Ámbar?”

“Hola, Simón.”

Ámbar had gone missing after Cancun, Luna wouldn’t even tell him why. Then she shows up, two months later looking like this? She seemed so unbothered by the shock going on inside his head.

“You smoke?” He heard himself saying. Apparently, that was the best his shocked brain could come up with. 

She let out a groan and lent down to stub the end of her cigarette out on the floor. “Does that make you feel better?”

“I don’t understand,” he said honestly. “What happened to you?”

“I’m sure Lunita told you everything,” she sighed.

“Not everything.”

The first flash of emotion crossed her face at his words but was gone as soon as it had come. “You don’t want to know,” she eventually said. “Just go back to the party and have fun.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Luna’s drunk.”

“A lightweight?” she assumed.

“Surprisingly, not usually, I think something happened.”

“Isn’t there always something with Lunita?”

Simón ignored the heat coming from her question and tried to move back on to her. He wanted to know why and how she had changed so much in such a short space of time. 

“Where have you been all this time?”

“You mean after Lunita stole my house?”

“She didn’t steal anything,” Simón defended. “And if that’s the reason, then you didn’t have to go. She would have let you stay there.”

“I could never do that.”

“So, you thought turning into a goth would be a better plan?” Simón wasn’t sure why he was pushing this so much, he just needed to understand what happened. This Ámbar seemed just as put together as the last one, but, when he looked into her eyes, he knew something was wrong.

“For starters, it’s punk. And I am more than content with how I have chosen to live my life. You don’t even know me, Simón, you can’t judge me.”

“I knew you before.”

She lets out a harsh chuckle. “No, you didn’t. No one did.” 

They sat for a moment in silence, not awkward, but not quite comfortable either. It was then that he noticed she really was shivering. He quickly unwrapped his shirt from around his waist and put it around her shoulders.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Ámbar asked, her voice a mix between disgust and shock.

“Being a gentleman, you seem cold,” he explains.

“If you were really a gentleman, you would give me that stupid beanie too.”

She had been joking, he knew that, but it didn’t stop him from plonking his grey beanie on top of her head. It suited her, and he told her as much.

“Of course, it does, I can make anything look good.”

“I see somethings don’t change.”

She looked directly into his eyes, a retort already on her tongue, he had no doubt about that, but no words came out. They just sort of sat there, staring into each other’s eyes, slowly getting closer.

He saw the moment she realised what was going on but was still surprised when she got up to leave.

“Wait, Ámbar.”

“What?” turning around with a flick of her hair.

He couldn’t let her leave, not like that, so he took a deep breath and looked into her eyes, trying to convey how serious he was. “Are you happy like this? Without the Roller, without your friends?”

“I have a new rink and new friends; I don’t need anything from my past.”

“Even so, if you need anything-“

“Spare me, Simón. You’re Lunita’s best friend, I don’t need your help, or anyone’s for that matter.”

And with that, she left into the night.

//

The party was not going how Gastón had expected it to go. He thought Matteo would be a wanted surprise for everyone, especially Luna, but she had acted so weird towards him. After that Matteo had tried to have fun, but Gastón knew his best friend, he was not in the party mood. Then there was Nina, who he had been having fun dancing with until Simón had dragged a not-all-there looking Luna into Nina’s arms with a quick apology, then left. Since then Luna had pretty much made a circuit with their friends and had eventually found a good partner in the just-as-drunk Jim.

“I don’t understand, I thought Luna didn’t like drinking much?”

“She doesn’t,” Nina clarified when Gastón voiced his confusion. “She’s clumsy enough when she’s sober, she’s too scared to get drunk because she’s certain she’ll end up in hospital.”

“Then what happened?”

“She’s embarrassed about how she talked to Matteo,” Nina said truthfully. 

“Yeah, it was a little weird.”

“She saw him hug that girl-“

“Sofi?”

“Yeah and thought there was something going on.”

“But there isn’t.”

“Well you know what Luna’s brain is like.”

“True.” He glanced around and found his best friend dancing with Nico and Pedro looking like he didn’t have a care in the world. Gastón knew him too well to believe that, he saw the not-quite-subtle glances he sent to Luna. “Why don’t we tell them what’s going on so this awkwardness can stop?”

“No,” Nina said. “It’s best to do it when they’re sober. Let’s just have fun and worry about them tomorrow.”

“Good idea.” He lent down to kiss her, and all thoughts of Matteo and Luna flew out of his head.

//

One good thing had come from her conversation with Simón. The shirt he had given her, which she had forgotten to give back, had money in it, just enough to get her to the hotel. Maybe Ámbar’s luck was about to change.


	3. The Announcement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At one point I couldn’t decide whose point of view to do so I just kept jumping. Hopefully it works.

It took six alarms and Simón jumping on her bed to wake Luna up the next day. Her head throbbed, her mouth felt disgusting and she just wanted to keep her head under her duvet forever.

“Come on, Luna, you have to work,” Simón was saying while dragging her off the bed by her ankle.

Luna just groaned.

“Skating will make you feel better, trust me.”

“I don’t feel like seeing anyone,” Luna complained, the memories of last night unfortunately not stolen by the excessive amount of alcohol she drank.

“Tough,” he said, just as she tumbled to the floor. “If you’re not downstairs in fifteen minutes, I’m going to throw a bucket of freezing water on you.”

“Fine, fine, I’m up. Keep the water to yourself.”

“Good, there’s no time for breakfast so, once you’re ready, grab your skates and we’ll go.”

It wasn’t until she went downstairs and had Simón laughing at her that she realised how bad she looked. Her top was inside out, her bracelets went up to her elbow on one arm and she had none at all on the other, she hadn’t managed to collect all her hair when she tied it in a ponytail, and she wore odd socks.”

“You never cease to amaze me, Luna,” Simón said as she took her top off to turn it the right way around, luckily she wore a vest beneath it. Before she could fix anything else, her friend pushed her skates into her arms.

“Luna,” Alfredo called from in the kitchen. “I need to discuss something with you.”

“Can it wait Abuelo, I’m running late for work,” Luna asked, desperate to leave so her family doesn’t realise how much she drank at Gastón’s.

“I guess so-“

“Thanks, abuelo.” As soon as her skates were securely on her feet, Simón and Luna were out the door and skating through the streets. 

She didn’t bother fixing her hair since it at least stayed out of her hair while she skated, but she did split her bracelets up so she had an equal amount on each wrist. There was nothing to be done about her socks.

By the time they reached the Roller she was presentable. Except for her hair. Which she forgot about. Her hangover was also pretty much forgotten about so she didn’t expect the pain in her head when she walked through the Roller doors to find music blasting through the speakers way louder than usual.

“What is happening?” She moaned to Simón.

“I don’t have a clue.”

Just then, Pedro ran up to them with a very worried look. “Nico and I started playing music while we were opening up this morning and now the amp won’t turn down.”

“How about you turn it off?”

“It won’t do that either.”

Simón quickly apologised to Luna then followed after Pedro. Luna made her own way to the locker room to put her bag in her locker and possibly find some soundproof headphones.

It was just Luna’s luck that the locker room was not empty. No, one person was leaning against his locker, looking down at his phone like he hadn’t left for three months.

She was about to turn around and take her chances with the speakers when Matteo spoke up.

“Hey, Chica Delivery. Are you feeling okay?”

“Of course,” she said, trying to sound casual. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well, you did drink quite a lot last night.” He smiled at her.

Oh god, he saw that.

“It hasn’t affected me,” She lied.

“Then did you skate through a hurricane this morning?” He asked her with a chuckle, pointing to her hair.

Luna groaned as she recalled what she looked like and took her bobble out. “Okay, so I might be a tiny bit hungover,” She conceded.

“Just a bit?”

“Oh, shut up, Chico Fresa, we can’t all be perfect.”

“That’s certainly true.”

And just like that, it was as if no time had passed at all. They were happily making fun of each other, saying their nicknames for each other. It felt so right.

“Look, Matteo, I wanted to apologise for yesterday,” Luna started. “I was just so shocked to see you again.”

“A good shocked?” Matteo asked with his ‘fresa’ smirk.

Just as Luna was about to respond, two voices made their way towards them. “Did you hear the news about Sol Benson?” one said.

“Yeah, I can’t believe it.”

Luna whipped her head around so quick she almost fell but couldn’t give that any thought as she stared at Delfi and Jazmín.

“What are you saying about Sol Benson?” Luna asked, worried about what they might have found out.

“Have you not seen the news?” Jazmín asked.

Luna shook her head.

Delfi took it upon herself to explain. “Well, since she now owns Ámbar’s mansion-”

“What?” Matteo asked in shock. Apparently, no one had kept him very up to date, and none of the girls were volunteering.

“-She has to do be properly introduced as Sol Benson before she can be seen as heir.”

“What does that mean,” Luna asked, knowing she would regret it.

“It means,” Jazmín said, “That she is going to have a huge party, where she will introduce herself. I have to find a dress.”

“But before that,” Delfi added, “she has to introduce herself to the community. The Benson family contribute to a lot of organisations and charities, she has to show them that she is as dedicated as the last heirs.”

“She’s just rich, not a duchess,” Luna said, unable to keep the horror from her voice.

“Being a Benson is hard work, Luna, not that you would know.”

“I wonder if Ámbar will come back for it,” Jazmín suddenly said.

“Where did she go?” Matteo asked, still confused.

Luna, on the other hand, as about to explode. She had to find Nina or Simón, or both. Immediately. 

Ignoring Matteo’s calls, she ran out of the room.

//

Ámbar had Saturday’s off work so she had got into a routine of waking up at the same time as usual – she never liked lying in – then she would take a walk around the park on the other side of town so she didn’t bump into any of the Roller group. After lunch she usually went to the rink to practice with the team. It was strange, when she was at Jam and Roller she would spend all her time on her skates and not get bored, but it no longer gave her the same thrill. She refused to believe it was because she wasn’t around those idiots.

However, she was ashamed to say that her routine was wrecked after Gastón’s party. She slept through her alarm, there was no food in her room, and she barely had enough energy to put all her make-up on. She also decided that she would take her skate with her in case she found a hill and was too lazy to walk down it. Then, as she was leaving her room, her eyes landed on Simón’s stupid shirt and beanie. With a shake of her head she had left without them, only to return three seconds later to grab them.

She decided she would be a decent person and give them back to him before she went for her usual walk. It didn’t take long for her to get sick of carrying them, so she tied to shirt around her waist and put the beanie on top of her hair. It was actually pretty comfy and surrounded her head with a mix of his sent and her cigarette smoke, she liked it. Not that she would ever voice that particular fact.

Another thing she would not admit was that she was nervous to go back to the Roller, but, at this time, not many people would be there. At least that’s what she told herself.

She was a block away when she felt arms wrap around her waist and her feet get ripped from the ground, causing her to drop her skates. She squirmed around, kicking her feet to get out of whoever held her. She wasn’t released until she was pushed into a car with black out windows. 

“We knew you would go back to Jam and Roller eventually Ámbar.” A voice said, causing the girl to look around until she found a tablet showing Rey’s stupid face. She shouldn’t have been shocked.

“You’ve been waiting outside the rink for two months?” She asked, no longer worried about her safety, just annoyed with his stupidity. “I’m sure my Madrina is ecstatic with the speed of your investigation. As per usual.”

Rey’s glare did nothing but annoy Ámbar further. The fact that he thought he scared her was ridiculous. Her Madrina on the other hand had her moments. 

“What does she want?” Ámbar asked. 

Rey didn’t look surprised by the straight to the point question. “Since you are in Buenos Aires, Miss Benson wants you to investigate the Valentes. They have just announced they will be introducing Sol to the public. On the seat beside you, you will find an invitation to the first event,” Ámbar picked the paper up and flipped it over in her hands. “You will go and find out information Miss Benson can use to prove that she should be the only Benson heir.”

Ámbar had to take a second to process the information. If they were introducing Sol, that meant Luna had decided to take her birthplace, and that Ámbar was officially nothing. A part of her had been hoping she would get her life back, but the other part reminded her that she chose to leave it when she left Sharon. And technically she had no claim to being a Benson anyway. This was Sharon’s battle, not hers. Ámbar had lost enough this summer.

“Tell my Madrina that I am done doing her dirty work. Now let me out of this car.”

“Not until you agree,” Rey said. “Miss Benson is willing to forgive the fact that you left if you do this for her. The first event is in a few days, the invitations are on the seat.”

“I am not her servant,” Ámbar said, raising her voice. “I can survive quite well without her. If she wants to screw Luna over so bad, she can do it on her own.”

With that, Ámbar ended the call and climbed into the front of the car which, just as she guessed, had not been locked like the back had. 

The warm air felt cool on Ámbar’s face, letting her know how angry she really was. Who does Rey think he is treating her like that, commanding her like that? It was bad enough to have someone telling her what to do again after the freedom of the last two months, but for Sharon to not even do it herself, did she really care that little? Ámbar was nothing but a pawn to that woman. 

She had raised her with this need to be more perfect than is possible and to not let anything stand in her way. It had taken her too long to realise the irony of it all. Everything she did to try to stay on top ended up dragging her down. And it was Sharon that started it. 

She hated that woman. She hated the woman that had been like a mother to her with all her being. No wonder so few people truly liked Ámbar when that woman was the one her taught her everything. 

Images of when she used to see Luna with her perfect family flashed in her mind. Them laughing and smiling to each other. That perfect Mexican family, probably even happier now they have more money than they have ever seen in their life. 

Why did Sharon even adopt her? Why couldn’t she have left her for some other family to take, one that had an emotion other than hate? 

Ámbar ripped Simón’s stupid hat from her head and threw it at the closest tree, letting out the shriek that had been building in her throat. She got a few weird looks but couldn’t bring herself to care. Screw Sharon, screw Luna and her perfect family, screw everything.

With a huff, she picked up her skates and marched over to pick the beanie back up, balling her hand into a fist around it and using the soft material as a makeshift stress ball. She no longer cared about the Roller or returning Simón’s thing. The last thing she wanted was to be anywhere where people may be talking about Sol Benson; the girl that survived and was taking back her perfect seat in society.

//

“Luna.” Nina was on top of the Mexican girl as soon as she walked past the bar. Thankfully, the music had stopped playing. Not that it mattered anymore, her hangover was the furthest thing from her mind. “I just heard. Why didn’t you tell me the news? Does this mean we can tell people the truth now?”

“No,” Luna said, barely looking at her friend. “Where’s Simón? I need both of your help.”

The relief Nina felt when she heard the news and thought she could finally stop lying to Gastón disappeared when she properly took in the fear on Luna’s voice. “Simón just left to get something to fix the speaker.” She looked around to see a few of their friends had noticed the unease on Luna’s face, it was only a matter of seconds before they would come asking.

Nina quietly pointed this out to Luna, who allowed her to push her out the room and straight into Juliana. 

“Luna,” the stern woman said. “I was just about to come looking for you. Your shift has already started, I hope there’s a good reason why you aren’t wearing your skates yet.”

Nina waited for Luna to give some sort of response; apologise, make an excuse, anything. Instead, no sound came from her. When she noticed the confusion, and worry, cross Juliana’s face, Nina faced her friend only to see her failing to hold back tears. 

“Luna,” she said softly. Now they really were getting looks off their friends. Nina needed to get her out of here before she had a full break down in front of everyone.

“She’s not feeling herself today, Juliana,” she said. “I’m going to take her home.”

“What happened? Do you need me to get you anything?” Juliana asked.

The only response Luna gave was a loud sob, alerting their surrounding friends that something was seriously wrong and causing them to come closer.

“Luna, are you okay?” 

“Luna, what happened?”

“Hey, Luna.”

“Luna, why are you crying?”

“Are you not well, Luna?”

Beside her, Nina’s best friend’s breathing was becoming more uneven and broken, and she was clinging to Nina’s arm for support.

“Luna.” Matteo appeared in front of them, but the Mexican’s eyes didn’t land on his until he said, in the softest voice Nina had ever heard come out of him, “Chica Delivery.”

“I- I can’t- I can’t do this,” Luna said through her heavy breaths. At her words, Nina took her by the arm and pulled her out of the rink, turning to give the others a warning look if they followed. They had to find Simón and sort out whatever mess had happened.

//

Nico, who had somehow become an amp expert, sent Simón on a mission to find two new cables because, after unscrewing the back, he decided two wires were missing. How could they be missing from inside it? Simón had no energy to argue and just made his way to the shop. Luckily, he had left his skates on got there pretty quickly. 

On his way back he skated through the park, taking his time because Luna wasn’t the only one that drank at the party, when he noticed a very familiar beanie on the head of a girl skating in front of him.

He picked up the pace and skated towards her.

“Ámbar,” he yelled when he was only a few feet away.

She turned around with her eyebrow raised in that unimpressed way she did so well, but didn’t stop skating, she just barely slowed her pace, which was already pretty forceful.

“Simón,” she said in her usual, flat tone.

He looked her up and down before he could stop himself. She had a new pair of skates, no longer the pretty white ones, but now black and purple. Her legs were clad in a pair of tights that contained too many holes to count and black shorts. Her top, grey instead of black, had a low V-neck, yet also had a strip of the cloth wrapped around her neck like a choker. The only bits of colour on her was the pink in her hair and the red in his shirt wrapped around her waist. 

//

When he called her name, she had been annoyed to say the least, but there he was, checking her out, and somehow it melted a thin – emphasis on thin – layer of her anger. Even so, it was still there and, knowing Simón, he would notice and ask about it, so she did what pre-Luna/Sol Ámbar would do. She pulled on her mask and tried to look exasperated and impatient with his ogling, but she was pretty sure she was out of practice.

//

His eyes reached her face to find a small, but still present, amused smile as she realised he was checking her out (only because he was worried about her, nothing else) but he matched it with one of his own as his eyes flicked to his beanie on her head. It looked just as good on her as it had the night before.

“Don’t get any idea,” Ámbar said. “I was cold this morning.”

He decided not to mention that it was one of the warmest days they had had all week. “What about the shirt?”

“I was going to return it.” 

“Really?”

“Yep, I was actually on my way to the Roller.” Ámbar pointed down the street that would lead them to the rink as if it would proof what she said to be true. By this point, they had stopped skating, though he wasn’t really sure when that happened. “But, since you’re here, I’ll give it to you now.” She ripped the item from her waist and chucked it in his direction. 

//

Was it bad that she felt the need to keep the Beanie? Her grip on it had been the only thing that had stopped her from crying and screaming in the middle of the street only ten minutes ago. Sue her, she didn’t have a support system at the moment. She was just lucky that her eyes weren’t red from the unshed tears.

//

“Thanks,” he said as he caught the shirt. He checked the pockets as soon as he could, sure he had put some money in their that he could use to pick up some lunch since he was out, but the pocket was empty. “Did you take the money out of my pocket?” he asked, trying not to sound rude.

//

Oops

//

“Why on earth would I need your money? You probably took it out before you gave it to me.”

He didn’t quite believe her, but he also knew she had no reason to take his money, she was much richer than him. Luna had told him that, before the Sol news had been revealed, a portion of the Benson fortune had been moved and only Sharon had access to it. He assumed Ámbar did too.

“You know,” Simón said, trying to get that back on a less awkward topic. “You can still come to Jam and Roller. I’m sure Delfi and Jazmín would be happy to see you.”

She scoffed. “Yeah, I’m sure they would.”

He tried not to frown at the sarcasm in her voice. Maybe they had an argument in the summer, though that wouldn’t explain why the girls often sounded worried whenever someone asked about her. He was still confused as to why she left so suddenly. It couldn’t have been about Luna, that was on Sharon, not Ámbar.

“Well, I’d like to see you there.”

//

Excuse me?

//

He wasn’t sure why he said it. He would probably convince himself that he was just curious about this new Ámbar, but that wasn’t it, at least not all of it. No one changed that much in such a short period of time, especially when they had been such a confident and strong person before. In that moment, he didn’t care that this was the girl that had tried to make his best friend’s life miserable for the last year. All he cared about was finding out what had happened in the last two months and why a part of her looked…defeated?

“I’m not going back there.”

“Then we can go somewhere else; neutral territory.”

“Are you trying to ask me out?”

Not how he would have put it.

When he didn’t answer straight away Ámbar smirked. “Not going to happen.”

//

Their conversation had got so off track. First, he just wanted his shirt back, then blamed her for losing his money (even if she did actually take it), then he started acting all sweet again and actually asked her out. Who did he think he was?

“I still think you should come back, everyone will be happy to see you,” he said, changing the direction of conversation slightly.

Why was he pushing this so much? The Ámbar in front of him screamed ‘stay away from me’ more than the last had. How was he not getting the message? Was it because of the beanie? Did it make her look to sweet? 

Maybe she should give it back.

Or not.

Instead, she lets auto-drive take over.

“Really? Even Lunita?” 

Or maybe that was bad idea too. Was it really that much of a habit to pick on Luna even when she had just decided she didn’t care?

“I know you haven’t always seen eye to eye, but I’m sure she would be happy to see you again.”

“Oh, I see. She must be really desperate for support on her campaign.”

Simón’s face scrunched up in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

“The announcement. Sol’s finally coming into the spotlight. Good for her. Nice to see her officially taking my home.” Ámbar folded her arms in her classic I’m-better-than-you-and-winning-this-argument way. She knew it would only take one more line to upset him enough to leave her alone. “Oh,” She feigned sadness in her voice, “Does your poor Lunita not tell you everything? Shame.”

A pop of colour caused Ámbar’s eyes to flick away from Simón, only to land on Luna herself. 

“You know what, I have to go. Bye, Simón.”

Without another word, she was gone. 

(His beanie still sat happily on her head).

//

Luna was gone. As soon as she is announced as Sol there will be no more Luna Valente, just the rich Benson heir. Every time her friends said her name at the rink, she felt a part of her break off, thinking this could be the last time someone calls her that. She had to get out of there, but her feet wouldn’t move, even though her heart was beating ten times its usual speed. 

It wasn’t until Matteo called her by her nickname that she managed to snap out of it enough to say something and cause Nina to pull her out of there. She thought she had time. She thought Sol could be a faceless name for a couple more years. It wasn’t that she wasn’t happy about knowing her past, or that she didn’t care about her birth parents; both were very important to her. But all she wanted to do was skate and sing and not have to think about money and how she presented herself every day. She wasn’t the prettiest or the smartest and she was not prepared for the life Sharon had. 

She was Luna. She was clumsy and distracted and didn’t appreciate pressure or responsibility, especially when she wasn’t warned about it first.

She wasn’t even remotely paying attention to where Nina was dragging her until Simón stood, confused, in front of her. Even then, her attention was minimal, only enough to understand everyone was up to date and they were going to go to Nina’s house for a meeting; she wasn’t 100% sure what about.


End file.
